Doobie Doo
Veteran
500-pound gangster packs snacks for court hearing
By Leonica Valentine
April 26, 2016 | 12:46am
William “Wobbles’’ Soler munched on snacks hidden in his wheelchair at a court hearing on Monday.Photo: David McGlynn
A 500-pound gangster accused of operating a massive gun-running ring wasn’t about to go hungry at his hearing in Bronx Criminal Court on Monday.
Suspect William “Wobbles’’ Soler made sure he had a secret stash of food — a clear plastic bag of honey-roasted Planters peanuts hidden on his left side, tucked between him and his wheelchair.
The tubby, tattooed gangster was rolled in through the audience entrance, since his wheelchair won’t fit through the door by which inmates typically enter.
Looking annoyed, Wobbles, 33, watched as his lawyer and prosecutors privately hashed out issues in front of the judge for several minutes.
The case was then adjourned until May 6.
Wobbles’ lawyer, Brian Sullivan, said his client has lost up to 80 pounds since his arrest a year ago.
“Have you seen him? Yes, he lost a lot of weight, definitely 60 to 80 pounds,” he marveled.
Last May, Wobbles had to be arraigned in an 8-by-10-foot room in front of the facility where prisoners are held because his double-wide wheelchair wouldn’t fit through the elevator doors at Bronx Criminal Court.
Judge George Villeges remarked at the time that it was a first for him in his 12 years on the bench, dubbing his wheelchair a “love seat on wheels.”
Wobbles, who also goes by the nickname “Redrum,” faces charges including felony conspiracy, criminal possession and criminal sale of firearms for allegedly leading a ring of nine gun runners and selling 93 weapons to an undercover cop.
His crew purchased weapons in Westchester County, Maine and Connecticut in 2014, then smuggled them into the Big Apple in suitcases and sometimes via Metro-North trains, authorities said in a 357-count indictment unsealed in May.
An undercover detective who was posing as a gun reseller bought 93 weapons, ranging from .22-caliber pistols to assault weapons, directly from Wobbles.
“He’s been intercepted over hundreds of wire conversations,” Assistant Deputy Attorney General Howard Feldberg said last May.
“He has transmitted photos of himself holding guns that were ultimately purchased by the undercover.”
Wobbles is also allegedly a boss of the East Coast sect of the Bloods, and has been accused of plotting to take out a rival gang member.
500-pound gangster packs snacks for court hearing
By Leonica Valentine
April 26, 2016 | 12:46am
William “Wobbles’’ Soler munched on snacks hidden in his wheelchair at a court hearing on Monday.Photo: David McGlynn
A 500-pound gangster accused of operating a massive gun-running ring wasn’t about to go hungry at his hearing in Bronx Criminal Court on Monday.
Suspect William “Wobbles’’ Soler made sure he had a secret stash of food — a clear plastic bag of honey-roasted Planters peanuts hidden on his left side, tucked between him and his wheelchair.
The tubby, tattooed gangster was rolled in through the audience entrance, since his wheelchair won’t fit through the door by which inmates typically enter.
Looking annoyed, Wobbles, 33, watched as his lawyer and prosecutors privately hashed out issues in front of the judge for several minutes.
The case was then adjourned until May 6.
Wobbles’ lawyer, Brian Sullivan, said his client has lost up to 80 pounds since his arrest a year ago.
“Have you seen him? Yes, he lost a lot of weight, definitely 60 to 80 pounds,” he marveled.
Last May, Wobbles had to be arraigned in an 8-by-10-foot room in front of the facility where prisoners are held because his double-wide wheelchair wouldn’t fit through the elevator doors at Bronx Criminal Court.
Judge George Villeges remarked at the time that it was a first for him in his 12 years on the bench, dubbing his wheelchair a “love seat on wheels.”
Wobbles, who also goes by the nickname “Redrum,” faces charges including felony conspiracy, criminal possession and criminal sale of firearms for allegedly leading a ring of nine gun runners and selling 93 weapons to an undercover cop.
His crew purchased weapons in Westchester County, Maine and Connecticut in 2014, then smuggled them into the Big Apple in suitcases and sometimes via Metro-North trains, authorities said in a 357-count indictment unsealed in May.
An undercover detective who was posing as a gun reseller bought 93 weapons, ranging from .22-caliber pistols to assault weapons, directly from Wobbles.
“He’s been intercepted over hundreds of wire conversations,” Assistant Deputy Attorney General Howard Feldberg said last May.
“He has transmitted photos of himself holding guns that were ultimately purchased by the undercover.”
Wobbles is also allegedly a boss of the East Coast sect of the Bloods, and has been accused of plotting to take out a rival gang member.
500-pound gangster packs snacks for court hearing
